Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced the constitution of seven empowered groups to address “serious side effects” of the ongoing West Asia crisis and urged state governments to work with the Centre in a Team India mode to tide over the crisis.The groups, the PM said, were structured around panels that drafted the national response to Covid-19. He said these groups would evolve strategies around fuel, fertilisers, gas, supply chains and inflation.Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the PM said “serious side effects of the war were inevitable”, but assured citizens of adequate crude storage. He said India could constantly deliver crude oil.Importantly, the PM took the occasion to stress “self-reliance as the sole option” going forward and cited how the country was investing in ship building to change the current scenario where 90 per cent national trade happens on foreign vessels.Modi reiterated dialogue and diplomacy as the sole measures to restore peace in West Asia, and said India was in touch with Iran, US and Israel to advocate de-escalation.In important remarks, the PM said the country must stay the course of reforms to boost self-reliance.“We have 53 lakh metric tonne of strategic petroleum reserves and are working to expand it to 65 lakh MT,” Modi said, assuring fertiliser supply for the kharif season as a shield to farmers.The PM, admitting that a prolonged war would have serious consequences, said, “The government is vigilant and is taking every decision keeping the welfare of people as top priority.”